Catching Up To Kuwabara
by AlyssaLies28
Summary: For Yusuke and Kurama, it's been years. While life seemed to crash down around them, life took off for Kuwabara. Hiei, being the sentimental fool that he is, tries to get everyone back on the same page.
1. Chapter 1

_Haven't written in a long time, but I got ideas a spewing. A bit of practice to keep my brain from getting a good rest. It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm too tired to really read over what I just wrote, so I hope it's not too 'Jesus Christ, this girl has definitely gone into that sleep deprived nonsense realm. She's making not a lick of God Damn sense.'_

"I'm going to kick your fucking ass after this is over, Urameshi," the red head growled in a low voice. Yusuke had heard a great many variation of that sentence thrown at him over the course of his of life, but hearing come from Kurama's mouth was an entirely new experience for him. Dear God, was he afraid.

Yusuke had to suppress the urge to scoot down the bench from Kurama; animals could smell fear. The same could also be said for demons. Luckily for Yusuke, Kurama was so pissed at the moment, that he had basically retreated into himself. Only the deathly glare of his eyes, flickering between golden and green, gave way of Kurama's level of anger.

"I'm feeding your cock to my plants. After I've personally ripped it off with my bare hands," he hissed.

"Okay, first of all, my cock is a 'she' not an 'it'. Second, you gotta real dirty fucking mouth on you. And last, I said I was sorry! I don't know why you still a bitchin about it!" Yusuke said, muttering that last part.

Kurama broke from his adamant gazing at the far wall to stare at the man beside him. Yusuke flinched back at the full force of Kurama's glare. Straighting himself back, Yusuke berated himself for letting his fears show thought and giving Kurama an opening for attack.

For once, Kurama did not pause to think out the words that sprung from his mouth. "You've got to be shitting me. Sorry? You hunted me down after all these years, when I was just trying to find a little bit of peace and quiet to sort out the total cluster_**fuck**_ my head has become, and get us both shackled to the walls, and each other, of the only operating jail house in the makai built to hold demons of our status. _What the Hell were you think?_'

During his rant, Yusuke had bent over as far as the chains binding him would allow, choosing to sulk rather than the truth. His hands clutched at the hair at his scalp. From his hunched over form his reason drifted up, soft and broken.

"Twenty-eight."

Kurama collapsed against the wall as his anger fled him, the sound of shackles shuttered throughout the dank cell. In all the years of hiding, of trying to forget everything human so as to better forget the death of his mother, Kurama had remembered one thing. Just one number. And every year that number grew bigger.

"Hiei is trying to find us," Kurama questioned, looking at Yusuke with a pain feeling in his heart, "Isn't he?"

Yusuke gave a great huff through his nose, ruffling his hair a bit, before looking up to stare at the wall, a dead look to his eyes dulling them. "Sure is."

"That's why you totaled the King's castle. So we'd be thrown in here and Hiei wouldn't be able to use his jagan to find us."

"I just…I wasn't ready. Thought you might feel the same way."

From the bared door come a harsh snap. "You've had the better part of 14 years to get ready. Now get up so I can bring you to Kuwabara!"

The shackled pair jumped at the voice of their old friend and could only stare at his figure in the doorway. Yusuke weakly half mumbled, "Glad to see you gained a few inches, Hiei," while Kurama appeared dazed out. After years of complete isolation, this was getting to be too much social contact for him.

Hiei strode forward, letting the height comment pass by, and released the chains of the two. "The both of you are fools for staying away. In your absence I have had to watch over him myself." He gripped Yusuke by the arm and yanked him to his feet. "I thought you would have kept your promise. I guess your words are not a thing of value."

Yusuke bristled at the comment and shook off Hiei's hold. "That promise was for Keiko, not Kuwabara!" he shouted before following up with a softer tone. "I couldn't go back for her. She needed to find someone she could grow old with. Someone who wouldn't be running off to fight with demons all the time. Someone who was smart and could provide for her and love her right. I can't do that. And I don't want to have to see another man doing for her what I never could."

Hiei snorted. "Now noble," he said with sarcasm. Kurama spoke up for the first time since Hiei had entered.

"He's twenty-eight you know." Said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And for the three demons, it was blaringly obvious.

Hiei closed his eyes and leaned against the cold stone of the wall. "He is dying."

And like that the mourning Yusuke and Kurama had felt for the last decade sputtered to a stop. In its place was the screaming, urgent need to be exactly where they had been avoiding.

Home.


	2. Chapter 2

_Finals are over and I got the weekend off work. Already painted a picture and now Imma stretching my fingers out on the keyboard. _

If there was one thing Yusuke couldn't stand, it was obviously being outta the loop. Granted he spent the better part of the past decade putting himself in this postion. It still pissed him off to no ends.

So with his usual grace, Yusuke was able to politely ask, "What the fucks been going on? Kuwabara get his ass handed to him trying to defend a litter of kittens?" Yusuke gave a heated glare at the security guards as the trio passed on their way out. Though he asked for his detainment, he still hated any kinda authoritative figures over him; even if he could have easily kicked their asses to Spirit World and back.

"I poisoned him," was the crisp reply Yusuke got.

Yusuke jerked to a stop as if those three words were a physical wall he'd slammed into. "You What?" Yusuke yelled through gritted teeth. Hiei jumped back as Yusuke's spirit energy flared and struck out sporadically while Kurama firmly stood his ground at Yusuke's side, not even flinching and a cut appeared along his cheek.

"I assume this is the reason you came for me," Kurama intoned, continueing on with his theory. "Yukina was not able to heal him. So this poison is unknown to both you and her and Kuwabara's spirit energy is unable to purge this foreign invasion from his body."

"That's correct," Hiei confirmed. He kept a tense hand on his kantana and a wary eye on Yusuke, though his spirit energy was now reigned in.

"You wish for me to heal him," Kurama went on. Hiei gave a brisk nod. "I know you cannot stand for another human you love to die so untimely."

Hiei's scathing, callous words tore at Kurama's heart. Although it did not beat as a human's did, Kurama placed a hand over him heart as though it had stuttered to a stop. Yusuke froze before snapping back his arm and striking the wall. With his arm still buried in the wall and a trickle of blood making its way down to his elbow and head bent to shadow his face, he spoke in a crushed voice. "Don't you ev'a speak 'bout Kuwabara like that."

"He is human and that is what they do. They live for a brief moment and then rot. For the most part they do not even matter." Hiei left the two in a stunned silence by turning away and walking through the exit at the end of the hall.

A good while passed before either of them moved other than to breathe; even then Yusuke only bothered to yank his hand outta the wall to let it hang loosely at his side. As he removed his hand the wall crumbled to the right of him while Kurama remained steady stone on the left. The little bit of blood redirected from Yusuke's elbow to down the tip of his middle finger where a droplet would occasionally break free to fall to the ground.

An even greater amount of time passed before a word was spoken. "We should hurry to Kuwabara's side so I can tend to his aliments." Kurama murmured. Yusuke sighed, looking Kurama dead in the eyes. "We should'a never left his side'n the first place."

The agreement Kurama felt at Yusuke's words were reflected in his saddened eyes. The moment between Kurama and Yusuke broke as Kurama squared his shoulders, his eyes hardening with a determination, and marched off in the direction Hiei disappeared in. Yusuke allowed a tense smile to work its way on his lips in relief at seeing the old Kurama make an appearance. Then he stalked down the hall after Kurama, catching up to him just as they passed through the doors.

There were a great many scenes Yusuke and Kurama had thought they would encounter as the doors clicked shut behind them. Hiei lounging in a tree waiting for them. Hiei standing impatiently to the side of the doors. To be honest, Yusuke had even briefly thought they'd find Hiei covered in blood surrounded by the mutilated corpses of the security guards. Kurama, more reasonably, thought Hiei might have already left and expected them to find the way to the nearest portal on their own. What they came face to face with was entirely different; so bizarre to the point where it was laughable and Yusuke snorted out a confused scoff.

Before them stood Hiei on the oar of a ferry girl. Smiling. Not just the small evil smirk the remembered, but full blown smiling, teeth and all. And if that wasn't completely flipping Yusuke and Kurama out, it was the fact that the ferry girl was not Botan, but someone that looked very similar to - "Shizuru?" squeaked Yusuke.

Kurama shook his head. "That is not Shizuru, Yusuke. She has black hair instead of brown." Hiei smirked as the Shizuru imposter cast the two demons a cool indifferent look, just as Shizuru would. Yusuke could just picture her puffing on a cigarette and blowing out a cloud of smoke when she drawled out, "You're pretty close. I'm her daughter."

Considering the approximate age of the girl in front of him and what had been going on around the time she was most likely conceived, Kurama was quick to come to a conclusion. "May your father happen to be Sakyou?" This was said as a question, but implied he already knew he was right.

Yusuke recoiled at the thought. "There's no way she'd've fuck with that sicko," he exclaimed. From on her oar, the girl smirked in the same way Hiei was. "Bingo," she said dryly. "You're fairly smart. You must be Kurama." She glanced at Hiei to see him nod in confirmation. "And you, Urameshi." Said with a tilt of the head in Yusuke's direction.

Yusuke was irked in the way she said his surname, like she was challenging him to a fight; kinda made him wanna punch her to the ground like he did Kuwabara. "Yeah, well, you got a name _ferry_," he sneered. The girl glared at him from her perch, "Yeah, it's _Kuwabara_, Dipshit."

Hiei nudged her sharply in the side with his leg. She left out a great sigh through her nose and ground out, "Name's Sayuri. Now get on my oar so I can take you to Dad."

"What?" Kurama asked confusedly while Yusuke glared eye to eye with Sayuri.

"Shizuru's dead. Kuwabara raised her." Hiei reported in a clipped fashion as he settled down behind Sayuri and waited for the others. Sayuri snorted and gripped her oar in both, "Way to be blunt, Hiei. Since we're in a share and care mood might as well tell you Genkai's dead."

Yusuke felt like he'd been hit by a speeding car and been taken out by Sensui at the same time. He couldn't believe Genkai was dead. He felt like shit for not being there for the old bat. But most importantly, Yusuke felt pissed off that Sayuri had a triumphant look on her face like she'd won a fight. So just to take her down to the level he was at he said to her, "Guess you get your underhanded ways from Sakyou," as he jumped on behind Hiei. Kurama was lucky to straddle the oar just before Sayuri growled in anger and wrenched them all into the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't know why I keep staying up late writing. My cold's a killing me. But when it flows it flows. Once I start a chapter I don't stop til it's done. Do I proofread? No. Too late at night/early in the morning for me to do anything other spew words onto the page._

Kurama could see Yusuke's hands twitching from where they gripped the speeding oar. Just as he saw Yusuke beginning to lift a hand in Sayuri's direction, Kurama sought to distract everyone. "How did it happen?"

Other than the oar giving a small shudder, Sayuri gave no signs that Kurama's question bothered her as she replied, "Died birthing me. Took Dad a while to get me, him being so young, but Keiko helped him through the legal stuff."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was actually asking Hiei how he managed to so severely incapacitate Kuwabara; though I would also care to hear of Kuwabara's plight after I have seen to him." Kurama rectified, an apologetic expression gracing his face. Yusuke burst into laughter, "Burn, Bitch!"

Leaning back on Kurama for support, Yusuke swung his leg back and struck out at Sayuri around Hiei. Sayuri let out a yelp as she lost her grip on the oar. Hiei's arm snapped her waist as she began to topple over sideways while Kurama steadied Yusuke with his hands on his shoulders.

With everyone firmly back on the oar, Hiei jabbed his elbow back into Yusuke's ribs, sending his slouched over gasping for breath. "Stop being a dick," Hiei scolded. Kurama's soft snickers rose up from the rear. At the double glare both Sayuri and Hiei sent his way, Kurama flushed, uttering another quick apology.

A quiet fell upon them. The only sound was the wind whipping into their faces and flinging their hair about.

"Kuwabara and I took the kids to the Makai for a training expedition. He got a gash that became infected. I cut into the swelled area to relieve the pressure." Hiei's voice drifted back to the others on the wind.

Kurama gave an awkward chuckle. "That is…incredibly ironic."

A lull in the conversation fell again before Yusuke piped up, uncharacteristically sharp of mind, "What unlucky kids are being trained by you and_ Kuwabara_?"

"Dad trains those that are psychic and Hiei teaches how to fight. Then both work on spirit energy," said Sayuri. "It's to help prepare junior detectives into going full fledge. Dad started it up with Genkai. Now hush up, we're getting to the portal and I don't need your yapping to cause me to send us into a entire different dimension."

"Head her words. It has happened before." Hiei advised, tightening his hold on the oar.

Though Sayuri kept up a consistent pace as they arrived in the human world, Kurama felt everything slow down around him. Nearly 14 years since he had last been around others, let alone back in his mother's world. He closed his eyes and breathed in the air rushing at him. All this time Kurama had been hiding from this world, afraid his grief would overwhelm him. Yet here he was, relaxing since his mother's death. Kurama didn't know if it was because of Kuwabara's imminent danger or that the passage of time had served to lessen the great burden only the death of loved ones can bring. His heart felt eased. Kurama opened his eyes to blink back the sudden onset of tears, nose tingling.

In front of Kurama, Yusuke was having an opposite feeling than Kurama's. He put stock in his words. Not all of them, but promises like that one he broke were important to him. Dread and guilt choked Yusuke as they flew high up into the sky, so as to be less recognizable to those below. Even with one of his dearest friends sick as a dog, all Yusuke could think of was how he'd face Keiko. He loved her, but he loved fighting more and he knew that would never be enough for Keiko. It was weird; spending the last several years wanting nothing more than to check on her, and now he just wanted to run back to the comfort and safety of the Demon world. The idea was sad, really.

But above all else, Yusuke was terrified of not Keiko's wrath, though that wasn't something to take lightly, but of finding the guy that had taken over his pedestal in Keiko's heart. The muscles in Yusuke's shoulders and arms bunching in anticipation were at odds with the grimace on his face. He just wanted to do right by her. In Yusuke's opinion only a saint would do for his childhood sweetheart.

As if reading his mind Hiei spoke to quell Yusuke's insecurities. "She found someone you will approve of," he informed in a tone that kinda confused Yusuke.

"Who is it? Is it Chu?" Yusuke asked in worry.

"Why would you automatically go with Chu? If I must say, he indulges a bit too much in alcoholic beverages," said Kurama.

"I don't know! That's why I was checking to make sure it wasn't him! It's not Jin right? He's nice and all, but that's be too fucked up for me," Yusuke rambled.

"Oh, it's more fucked up than you think," Sayuri muttered from the front as she guided them past the outskirts of a city and towards the forested area in the distance. Yusuke was beginning to panic. His breathe was coming in short, quick puffs. What if it was Koenma or that yo-yo brat Rinku. Jesus, what if it was Elder Torguro! That guy was always popping back up!

"It's Yukina. You will not approach her in any other way than pleasantly." Hiei's voice said; cutting through Yusuke's outlandish mental rundown of fucked up candidates. Instead a series of steamy girl on girl scene were playing out in his mind's eye. Kurama leaned forward to whisper in Yusuke's ear.

"I do not believe Hiei would approve of the images you are envisioning. It would be best to drop the lecherous grin you have."

Yusuke toned down on the soft core porn he was making in his head just as Hiei cast a quick glance over his shoulder. Thinking seriously now, Yusuke had to say Yukina was a good choice. Better than some meat head guy, at least. And Hiei was one Hell of an in-law. "Glad that's taken care of," Yusuke ended up saying.

"So let me get this straight. You skipped town for a decade-"

"Fourteen years," Hiei interrupted Sayuri.

"Right, fourteen years. Just to avoid actually dumping her and eventually confronting her new love interest?"

"Well, yeah. You've seen how Keiko can get!" Yusuke retorted. Both Hiei and Kurama sadly shook their heads and Sayuri muttered an "Idiot" under her breath. Everyone jolted upright as they felt a familiar spirit energy pass over them.

Kurama grew worried at how irregularly Kuwabara's energy pulsated as Sayuri lowered the oar at the top of the stairs leading to Genkai's temple. A figure appeared in the entryway, standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hurry," he demanded in a cold tone. Yusuke and Kurama stared at the boy while Hiei and Sayuri mounted to few steps to him.

"When the Hell'd Hiei get a kid?" Yusuke yelled.

A chuckle followed by a wet cough sounded from within the temple. Everyone turned to watch Kuwabara shuffle out, curls of orange hair sticking to his damp brow.

"That one's also mine," Kuwabara croaked out, smiling the proud smile of a parent, his eyes lighting up despite the dazed, feverish glaze to them.


	4. Chapter 4

_I think I need to give a bit of a timeline. _

_Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama leave like usual in the series. When Kurama's mother is supposed to be married, instead she and her fiancée die, tragic accident. Shizuru got knocked up by Sakyou at the Dark tournament, has a baby 9 months later and dies during. Kuwabara gets Sayuri (14 in story). Two years later Kuwabara finds the Hiei look alike who was already three (So he's 15 in the story). Three years after that, Yukina gives birth to her first immaculately conceived child (Hasn't shown up In the story yet, but she'll be 9), Hiei of course has shown up to be there for her and come clean about the brother thing. Finally, Keiko decides she wants to give birth to their next child and asks Kuwabara to be the father; this is the Kuwabara look alike (he's three, almost four). Confused? You better be. Yusuke'll sure be~_

"Haven't seen you in years and the first thing you tell me is you and speedy Gonzales fucked and had a kid?" Yusuke said, green in the face. "That's sick. Real sick."

Kurama stood next to Yusuke in embarrassment, thinking of how to carefully explain all the reasons his statement was wrong. So wrong. Fortunately, someone who could bitch slap Yusuke's mind into understanding spoke up to break the ice.

"Are you fucking retarded?" Sayuri deadpanned. Despite his general distaste for hearing his kids using such crude language, Kuwabara spluttered out a laugh at the expense of his long time friend. The offended, pissed off glare on Yusuke's face was too priceless. This was the kinda thing he missed about Yusuke; the pure silliness that sprung from the man at times.

Kurama put a hand on Yusuke's sleeve and tugged him to lean in a little. "Yusuke. Kuwabara and Hiei are both men. Two men cannot have a child together." Kurama said quietly to the confused man beside him. Just as quietly, a voice in the background said, "Who the Hell just assumes that two guys had a kid?"

Yusuke was really getting tired of everyone pissing him off and tried to defend himself. "Well I thought maybe demons could, who know, get their little guys settled in… uh." Yusuke stalled for a moment, trying to think about what he was really wanting to say.

"I think he's trying to say I put a baby in your asshole," Hiei cut in. Expecting a great burst of laughter from the orange-headed man, instead a weak hum accompanied by a flickering smile was Kuwabara's response. Everyone was reminded of Kuwabara's situation as Hiei, Sayuri, and the young boy lunged forward to support Kuwabara's swaying figure. With his daughter under one arm and his son beneath the other, Kuwabara slowly retreated back into the house and towards his room down the hall.

Hiei leaped down the three stairs and grabbed Kurama's hand to pull him towards the hobbling pack of Kuwabaras. With a pointed look at Yusuke he said, "Quit distracting everyone with your stupidity," and disappeared into the house as well, frog marching Kurama past the threshold.

Standing in the courtyard alone, Yusuke felt the pressure of being outta the loop bearing down on him. Fourteen years without bothering to know what went on in the human world and Yusuke could barely breath he'd missed so much. Sure Kuwabara or someone could retell all the more important events, but Yusuke would never be able to experience them like he would have if he'd only stayed. And the little things would just go unsaid, leaving Yusuke to guess, something he apparently overdid sometimes, on what happened in everyone's lives 90 percent of the time he was gone. His skin itched with the need to know; Yusuke was putting some serious thought on calling on Koenma to watch over the tapes he knew the little bastard kept on everyone.

"Oh, thank God! Kurama's here!" a heart achingly familiar voice cried from behind Yusuke. He spun around to see Keiko coming up the stairs. In her hands dangled a horde of plastic bags. She seemed out of breath from the long trek up the fleet of stairs, little clouds of mist puffing out with each breath in the cold breeze. Yusuke's first thought was that Keiko looked good with her cheeks flushed so red. His next was that there seemed to be a toddler gripping at the knees of her pants with one hand and holding a loaf of rumpled looking bread aloft in the other. Then Yusuke realized the kid had to be Keiko's (she was always the mothering type, he thought). Finally, Yusuke noticed the blaringly bright orange the boys hair was.

Unlike with Sayuri and the other boy (Yusuke hadn't bothered remembering a name if it was even said) this one was obviously Kuwabara's. Yusuke kept his thoughts to himself for once, trying hard not to make an ass outta himself in front of Keiko. Walking towards him, Keiko gave him a once over At this Yusuke puffed out his chest. She smiled softly, "You look good, Yusuke."

Yusuke did look good. Dressed in a simple cut outfit from demon world, it was made of fine material and fit him wonderfully. To him it was everyday clothing, to Keiko it was one of the few times she'd seen him in clothes that weren't torn or bloodied as a result of a tussle.

"So, you and Yukina," said Yusuke, following Keiko as she walked through the front door, only bothering to taking a few bags when she stumbled. Keiko smiled a truly shit eating grin, "Yeah."

Tipping his head down Yusuke looked at the kid shyly hiding behind his mother's legs, "So, you and Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked confusedly, returning his gaze to Keiko in time to see her red cheeks flare even more.

"That…That one's a long story. You have time to hear in later since you'll be staying a while." Keiko said, a bit of a hard bite at the end. Yusuke was kinda glad she was forcing him to stay; now he'd be able to nose around and hear what's been happening the past decade or so. Other than baby making, Yusuke thought with a roll of the eye that Keiko mistook as him shrugging her off. Trudging into the kitchen and placing all the grocery bags on the counter, Keiko rounded on Yusuke, backing him into a corner, while her son ran off to find his mom.

"Fourteen years," she said in a shaking voice ripe with anger.

"I know," Yusuke whispered, having already acknowledged his extreme fuck up and shouldering the guilt. "I should have come back to see you. Explain to you that I…I just can't be what we'd need me to be if we were a family."

"This isn't about us!" Keiko exploded! "I gave up on you before you said you were even gonna come back!" Keiko paused to catch her breath and to calm herself, backing away from Yusuke in disdain. Yusuke did as he'd done as a child when being yelled at, tense up in fight and look firmly at the ground.

"He is still waiting for you. After all the hard times. The struggles to get by. The deaths spent mourning for both you and the deceased. He needed you! He needed Hiei and Kurama! His friends! Instead all he had was me and the girls and a heaping pile of responsibilities that kept getting bigger."

Yusuke opened his mouth to interject. "_Shut up!_" Keiko hissed, truly stunning Yusuke with the amount of malice to her words. She stared him down for a minute.

"I've changed my mind. As soon as Kuwabara's better, I want you out of here. We all know you won't stay and it's not fair torturing Kuwabara with something he desperately wants but can never have."

Yusuke swallowed hard, forcing down the cries he wanted to weep at the truth of her words. He'd already planned on leaving after Kuwabara was feeling better. He felt like scum for trying to flee again, but he didn't want to end up like Kurama. Wallowing in the utterly soul crushing agony that losing a loved one brings about. Hearing of the deaths of Genkai and Shizuru stung in the very deepest parts of his heart, so much so his chest hurt with the physical resonance of it. He didn't know how'd he force himself to even breathe if he stayed and allowed himself to fully experience the deep rooted connections between himself, Keiko, and Kuwabara, only to lose them in a few years.

Keiko's words made him want to give it a shot though. For Kuwabara and Keiko, this was it. They'd only get five of six more decades before their bodies would fail them and they would, like Hiei said, "rot." But contrary to Hiei's cruel words, Yusuke knew that these two made all the difference to him and the impact of their words and actions would forever be with him. From what he'd learned so far they were also changing the lives of many others, of those who'd live on a long time and spread the same generosity shown to them by the duo.

Yusuke looked up to discovered that in his thoughts he'd drifted out of the kitchen into the hall. He listened to the sounds of Keiko putting away the food for a moment. Cautiously, Yusuke walked back into the room and cleared his throat. "If you and Kuwabara will have me, I wanna stay here for a while," Yusuke croaked out, words cracking slightly. "A long while." He added for good measure.

Keiko carefully smoothed her hands down the wet sides of the gallon of milk in front of her, back turned to the man pleading in the archway. "There's a room across from Kuwabara's you and Kurama can share."

With that she resumed with the storage of food, going on to pulling a few things back out in preparation of dinner. Yusuke smiled, turning to wander around until he found which room she'd mentioned. However, Yusuke choose the first room he came to instead. Despite the complete bareness of the room, Yusuke kneeled in the center, slowly lowering down his tired body to rest.


	5. Chapter 5

_All the kids' names are in this chapter! As per suggestion, the set up the CUTK timeline on my profile, but it's also still in chapter four. I'll have to update them with the new names. Not now though. Anyways, this is the chapter that came out my fingers as I typed today. I was beginning to go crazy from not writing this up sooner~_

The sound of the door sliding open woke Yusuke from the sleep he'd fallen into. For a moment he didn't open his eyes. He hadn't felt this exhausted since the last demon tournament; not in a physical since thought. The sheer mental and emotional clusterfuck just sucked the energy right outta him like an ass kicking never could.

Yusuke heard the soft rustling of clothes and blearily opened his eyes. The sight he saw was both excoriating, in the sense that he was a man for fuck's sake, and completely horrifying. Before him was a girl on the brink of womanhood. Curves were beginning to pop along her sides and the swell of her breasts was kept in check with bindings wound tight around her chest. While her body was enticing all on its own, what really got Yusuke worked up was the fiery look in her eyes as she stared him down. The whole situation was a turn off on account of one simple, miniscule fact. _This was Kuwabara's daughter._

Obi dandling in hand and kimono wide open, Sayuri didn't hesitate to stomp her socked foot down on Yusuke's throat when a strangled cough started to work its way out his mouth. Her foot was quickly taken back. Sayuri hopped on the one leg while clasping the thigh of the other, her eyes squeezed tight. Breathing deeply through clenched teeth she hissed at Yusuke as he sat up to steady her teetering form.

"I hate you so _fucking_ much." Placing her hands on Yusuke's shoulders, Sayuri gently lower herself to the ground. The way she favored her right leg was obvious. "You don't got much of a honor code do ya?" she said probing along her hip, right under her panties line.

Yusuke's eyes were busy roving over the long length of her legs. Sayuri definitely got the Kuwabara height and she was working it well. "Huh?" he grunted out.

Sayuri snorted and jerked her head to the side. "Pops don't fight girls. And Dad only hits 'em in fights. You just go around kicking their joints outta whack."

"So Kuwabara and Hiei really are going at each other? " Yusuke gasped.

"Pay attention asswipe! You're gonna help me pop back in the hip _you_ dislocated," Sayuri snapped. The pain throbbing up and down her leg was eating away what little kindness she had in her for Yusuke. Guilt flooded through him as he noticed the ugly bruise blossoming across her upper thigh. A moment later the area was covered with part of Sayuri's kimono, her eyes averted to the ground and jaw hard set.

"I'm sor—"

"Just!" Sayuri cut off Yusuke's apology. "Just ram her back into place," she said with a gesture to her leg. Yusuke grabbed her under the knee and above her hip as she leaned her back on her arms.

"I didn' mean to hit so hard," he said quietly.

"Yeah, well, I'm human," Sayuri stated. Yusuke chose that moment to slam her femur back home in her hip socket. Sayuri managed to choke back her scream but the tears in her eyes fell rapidly. On a sob she said, "We break a Helluva lot easier than demons do."

Yusuke thought about Kuwabara lying weak in another room. He looked at the young woman scrubbing the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and felt a pang tear through his heart. Yusuke had no idea how to comfort someone in pain like Sayuri was suffering from. The physical pain of having a joint reset had probably faded into a dull throb, but he could feel the worry and fear in her tears echo in his chest.

How in the world did Kuwabara make it through all these years as a father? The weight of responsibility Yusuke was imagining was pressing down on him, making it hard to breath. He had to do _something_. Anything, damnit! Just so long as these messed up emotions left him alone.

Yusuke reached forward and pulled close the two halves of Sayuri's kimono. She gave him a confused teary eyed looked just as the screen door was slammed open.

"What the fuck?" the figure in the doorway whispered to himself. He saw a completely different scene in front of him than what really happened. What he saw was his sister in between the legs of some demon dick that had his hands on her half unclothed body. His eyes flashed a dangerous red. The bowl piled high with ice cream he was holding cracked in his tightened grip.

Yusuke had a deer-in-the-light look in his eyes as they flickered from brother to sister, trying to fully taking in the situation. Once it clicked he threw his hands in the air and cried out, "This isn't what you think, mini-Hiei!"

"Rouko," Sayuri corrected. She scooted away and snatched up her obi, moving to settle her clothes right. The boys tactfully ignored her; Rokyou glaring at Yusuke and Yusuke cursing himself for pissing off anyone related to Hiei. Or was it Kuwabara? He honestly didn't know what the fuck was going on with this family stuff right now.

"And how would you know what I'm thinking?" Rouko bit out.

"Cause I know what it looks like!" Yusuke argued. He had a sense of déjà vu wash over him. A conversation on the school rooftop popped into his head but he shook it out.

"Alright," Rouko said abruptly. He scooped up a large spoonful of ice cream and shoveled it into his mouth.

"That's it? You're just takein' my word for it?" Yusuke asked incredulously, bringing his arms down to rest in his lap. Sayuri gave a short laugh laid down at Yusuke's side.

"Sure am." Rouko replied around another mouth full of ice cream, spoon sticking out the side of his mouth. He walked over to Yusuke and kicked him in the face. With a chirper hum and a flat face, Rouko flopped onto the ground on the other side of Yusuke's crumpled form. He took one last bite of ice cream before setting the half eaten bowl on Yusuke's stomach.

"Brought you some sweet snow," said Rouko. Yusuke took hold of the bowl and gingerly pressed it against his aching nose.

"How the fuck did Kuwabara raise little shitheads like you two," Yusuke groused.

From her position flat on her back, Sayuri piped up. "Nah, Pops' the good one. And Dad spoils us rotten. Not to mention Keiko and Yukina."

"Yeah, Mah-maw Meshi and Genkai that taught us how to be tough little shitheads," Rouko finished. From the doorway the three heard a pitter-patter on footsteps.

"Bubby said bad word! You go to time out," little Kuwabara (as Yusuke had dubbed him) chirped, waging a spoon held tightly in his little fingers. He wore a scandalized look on his face as he dealt out his brother's punishment. Rouko rolled over onto his stomach and began to loudly cry. The noise sounded obviously fake to Yusuke and Sayuri, but little Kuwabara thought his brother really was upset. His orange eyebrows bunched up, his lips falling into a pouting frown as tears gathered in his own eyes. "What wong Bubby?"

"O-out! I want out time out!" came Rouko's muffled cry from his face plant on the floor.

"You come out now," quivered little Kuwabara on the verge of tears himself. When Rouko popped up with a wild grin, the look on little Kuwabara's face vanished to be replaced with bubbling laughter. "That _silly_!" he yelled.

He raced the short way across the room and jumped on top of Yusuke's chest. Yusuke let out a 'omft!' as the air was knocked outta him.

"You got owwie on you nose," said little Kuwabara in reference to the small bit of blood leaking from Yusuke's nose. The toddler dipped his spoon into the bowl Yusuke still held against his nose. "My sweet snow!" he squeaked. He shoved the spoonful into his mouth and went to get another bite, pushing the bowl into Yusuke's abused nose.

Yusuke let out a howl and threw the bowl in Sayuri's direction. He felt the bony little knees that were digging into his ribs disappear as the bundle of energy atop him following the flying dessert. The pained sound of a crash landing brought a smile to his hot face. He missed to cold of the dish already, but sacrifices had to be made. Yusuke didn't mess with kids til they were potty trained.

"Kazaku! Come get your little butt in here!" Yukina's voice rang out from down the hall. Little Kuwabara perked up from his perch on Sayuri's boobs. "I gotta go," he said with a serious look on his face, "Watch my sweet snow for me!" Kazaku flew out the door crashing into the wall outside. He gave a one breath cry, throwing his head back, before he picked himself back up and took off again.

"Imma hold your sweet snow in my tummy!" Rouko hollereded after the tot, flopping over Yusuke and snatching the treat outta Sayuri's hands. Sayuri shook her head at both of her brothers' antics as Rouko settled with his head resting on her stomach and back across Yusuke's. From down the hall a wailing started up with 'Nonononon!' on repeat.

Yusuke lay in amazement. "It always this crazy round here?"

"Off day for us with Pops down. Usually more chaotic." Sayuri answered with a shrug of the shoulder. She absentmindedly picked at her teeth. Yusuke couldn't even imagine the possibility of any more action than this going down. Unless someone was kicking some bad guy ass, of course.

"You should see what happens when Chu comes around. Right 'Yuri," Rouko said in a suggestive tone, waggling his eyebrows. Sayuri wacked him upside the head. The two shared a look and burst into peals of laughter.

Yusuke didn't get the inside joke. Then again, he'd never had a sibling.

Hiei appeared in the doorway and saw two of his kids cuddling with his old teammate. He liked the warmth that sparked in him at the sight. Hiei craned his head around to see the entire framework of the door. Rearing back, Hiei landed in the room on a roll, the door beneath him completely taken out. Yusuke met Hiei's gaze and gave an awkward little wave with the hand trapped under Rouko's thigh.

"S'up." Yusuke was kinda getting tired of everyone just dropping into 'his' room. Hiei's entrance was the most unique so far though and a smile tugged onto his face. Hiei smirked at Yusuke, "Detective."

The moment was ruined when the two Kuwabara siblings clambered on top of Yusuke even as he shouted out in protest.

"Pops okay-" "What's doing-" "Get your fat asses _off_-" everyone clamored at once.

"Kurama is still looking at his back. He's doing fine, fever's down," Hiei explained. He reached out to Yusuke's ankle and yanked him out from under Sayuri and Rouko. The two tumbled to the side in loud indignation. Hiei did as any parents would their disgruntled kids; he ignored them in favor of dragging a body out of the room. Usually when this would happen, he'd either be dragging a dead body or Kuwabara. Both were equally disturbing in the eyes of the kids, so this was actually a nice change in routine.

Down several hallways Yusuke was dragged. At one point the two came across Kazaku, who was playing at Yukina's feet as she folded laundry. He let out a shriek at the sight of Hiei pulling his new found best friend along the ground. With a running leap, he landed on Yusuke's chest (again).

"It's a sled!" he shouted. Yukina chuckled as Hiei took him on a Yusuke ride, not even bothering to pause in her task. A moment later her daughter Ume came in dragging Kazaku in much the same fashion as Hiei was Yusuke.

"My sissy said sled real, real tired," Kazaku reported to his mom.

Back with the dragging duo, Yusuke was withering on floor. His shirt was up around his shoulders and he had rug burn bad all up and down his back. So far his time at the Kuwabara residence was filled with pain and injury. Finally Hiei came to a stop outside a room. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yusuke saw that the door opposite the one the stood/lay outside of was torn apart just as his had been.

"The Fuck? Did you just drag me all over this house just ta bring me back here?" Yusuke asked irked.

"Yeah. I was just fucking with you," Hiei said with a sadistic laugh, "In all seriousness, Kuwabara wants to see you. So pull yourself together and come on in."

Hiei left through the door, shutting it behind him. Yusuke sprung up and hastily tugged his shirt back down and tucked it into his pants. He patted his hair into place. Taking a deep breath in, Yusuke closed his eyes and held his breath. A few counts passed before he slowly let out the air in his lungs. Yusuke reached out to the door.

The thought of having an actual conversation with the man he's left behind all those years ago brought him up short. Kuwabara was not Keiko. He could have come back if only to see just him. But Yusuke hadn't. He stood there in front of the door to Kuwabara. The tips of his fingers barely brushed against the grains of the wood. He was waiting. Waiting for a way to make everything right with Kuwabara.

Nothing came to him.

He let his arm drop back to his side and stumbled away from the door. All he could do was stare and stare at the damn thing as he bumped into the wall behind him and slide to the floor.

Outta everything that's tried to stop him before-life, demons, _death_—it was an old, ordinary door that caused him to pause.


End file.
